Trust The Holy Spirit To Lead

 

1. Look first to Jesus

When you have to make important decisions, first review the commands of Jesus and His Apostles. The Holy Spirit will give you the power to obey them. Christ’s will for believers is, before all else, simply to do what He already plainly told them to do. In daily matters, if believers truly love God and others, they can do just about whatever they desire, because their desires will be pure. They will only want to do good, wise and just things, because their love comes from the Holy Spirit.

2. Trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance

If Scripture does not provide enough guidance, then pray for the Spirit’s prompting. “All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). Since the Holy Spirit is a Person like Jesus, you can pray to Him and ask for His help. Ask others to pray, too. You will feel Him telling you what to do, and what not to do. According to John 16:12-13, Jesus said the Holy Spirit would guide His followers into all truth. The Holy Spirit will never lead you into error. The Holy Spirit walks alongside you and makes sure that you get to the right place in your thinking and in your living.

3. Consult other believers

The Holy Spirit often leads believers though human advisors, including godly writers. A small group is more apt to discern the Spirit’s leading than an individual. Christian workers often make unwise decisions because they work alone, rather than with a cohesive task group, as Christ and His apostles did. However, one must be careful whom one consults. Unwise decisions come from following people with culturally insensitive ideologies, heavy-handed organizational policies, and spiritually sounding traditions that take the place of New Testament commands.

4. To confirm God’s will for ministry or career planning…

• Ask God for wisdom.
• Examine Bible passages related to the matter.
• Consult with trustworthy advisors, including what godly writers have written.
• When doing evangelism, look carefully at a community to discern if its members are ready for harvest (John 4:35)
• Follow common sense.

5. Beware of other spirits that try to take the Holy Spirit’s place

There are many spirits. God’s Spirit will never say anything bad about Jesus, and will never cease to glorify Jesus. He will never tell you to do something that Jesus has commanded not to do. The Spirit is not here just to cheer people during worship. He is a constant Comforter and Guide. False spirits try to lead believers astray. They deny that Jesus is God, or deny that God came to earth in human flesh. “Those spirits who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh are not of God” (1 John 4:3)